


A View from the Mountains: Faith Forged in Fire - Chapter Three.One

by Maple_Tartan



Series: A View from the Mountains: Tales of the Avvar [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Burning, Conversion, Crusade - Freeform, Fire, Gen, Hogmanay, New Years, Religion, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 10:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10695405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maple_Tartan/pseuds/Maple_Tartan
Summary: Set after the creation of Wyvern-Flame Hold, the Avvar are celebrating Hogmanay. As they do, a mysterious Andrastian visits the Hold.Note: Though set after the third chapter, all the "Three.(number)" chapters are not necessary to the plot. However, I feel that their stories add depth and world building to future events.





	A View from the Mountains: Faith Forged in Fire - Chapter Three.One

Beautiful snowflakes descended upon the festive Avvar hold of Wyvern-Flame. The hold well underway revelling in the celebrations of Hogmanay, a festival to remember the year’s triumphs. Held on the last day of the year, honours were provided to the gods as skalds bellowed tales of legend over the strumming of lutes and rhythmic tapping of drums. Fires blazed strong in the centre of the hold where most of the drunken merriment was taking place. Most who danced made their steps up with the flow of the song while a select few made traditional dance to the approval of the elders.

In the fray were Leitis and Tom, hooking their arms together as they spun about, laughing hysterically. Sam sat off to the side, smiling wistfully at them with mug in hand. They spun themselves to him and dragged him up with them. Together, they caused general chaos, drunkenly bashing into the others. No disdain was shown by those they hit as the people thought it was always nice to see your leaders as one of your own.

Within the main temple of the hold, Rankys conducted another right for another spirit of the hold, placing a stone trinket upon a blood covered altar. The sacrifices had been performed earlier in the day, leaving all tributes with a crimson finish. The god the altar was dedicated to appeared for a moment before disappearing along with the trinket. The child who had made the gift along with the guidance of his father, gasped. It was his first time seeing a god make direct influence on him.

“You have done a great service to the gods. They will look upon you favourably.” said Rankys, smiling down to the boy. The child was still in awe, mouth agape. His father lightly nudged his back.

“Thank you, augur.” responded the child, meekly.

“Don’t thank me, thank the gods.” and with that, the child was off to rejoin his friends.

Rankys walked to each altar, stopping for a moment to reflect on each god. He had seen each of them in the Land of Dreams. They were kind and watchful, warding off malevolent demons. The mages raised within the hold were in excellent hands, guided by knowledgeable gods and a blessed powerful augur. At the head of the temple, Rankys reached the great three. There were three magnificent altars; a rising eagle for the Lady of the Skies, a natural formed pillar, that the temple was constructed around, for Korth the Mountain-Father, and carved stone axes, covered in a constant magical frost, for Hakkon Wintersbreath. Some would consider what Rankys had done in the war to be sacrilegious, impersonating the gods and manipulating their will. On the other hand, a debate could turn to whether or not what Rankys had done was the will of the gods. Those who knew of his deceptions would rather leave philosophical discussions to those with the time and none of this stopped Rankys from performing his sacred duties as the augur. While he spent a few moments in silence amongst the gods, hearing the music booming outside prompted him to leave the hall and join in the celebrations.

He looked to the smiling faces of the clan and the general glee permeating from the festivities of Hogmanay. Rankys saw a few kids in the distance, sitting off to the side with sour looks on their faces. Shifting into a red lion, he approached the children. The people of Wyvern-Flame Hold held no innate fear of red lions as their hold beast was one and red lions were common for shifters to learn. This red lion’s unusual size and strange markets told the children that it was Rankys. He laid himself to the floor and gestured with his towards his back. The children gleefully mounted him, digging their tiny fingers into his thick fur. Rankys started parading the kids about, often standing tall so they dangled from his back with their feet kicking about.

Suddenly, the music stopped and people began to part from the hold’s entrance. Whispers spread of confusion and anger as the people stepped back. Rankys let the children off his back before shifting into his human form and making eye contact with Leitis, Sam, and Tom. The four of them united at the head of the parting people to greet what had entered the hold. As no one had panicked or brandished weapon to the intruder, they saw no need to sound any alarms.

After all had moved aside, the interruption proved to be a woman dressed in red and white garb. She was clearly not dressed for the winter weather yet did not flinch as her robes fluttered in the strong winds. For a moment, neither party spoke, both analysing the other.

“I come to represent Andraste and the will of the Maker. The one true God!” said the woman. Her ranting continued, with words such as ‘heretic’ thrown about. The Avvar were not quick to listen to a foreigner’s preachings and the hold started to get riled up. They began shouting in turn but with less formality and not withholding any foul language of the mountains. The woman was being drowned out by the crowd but still continued before Rankys raised his staff and all fell quiet.

“You come to our home and insult us on a day of celebration, preaching the way of lowlanders?” said Rankys, approaching the woman menacingly.

“I have come to save you, bring your salvation from your false gods!” said the woman. She remained steadfast even in the shadow of the imposing figure of the augur. The people scoffed at her remarks and a few called out insults.

“You insult our gods while yours is said to have abandoned you? Our gods are true and live among us.” said Rankys. When he finished speaking, a few gods of the hold appeared by his side. The spirits floated at the woman’s height and looked into her with curiosity. The crowd cheered, supporting their faith.

“Now, as the augur of this glorious hold, I speak on the will of the gods. Thus, I transmit their words for all to here. What I am being told is this woman must have been sent by someone, as a test to us. She made it this far into the Frostbacks in the dead of winter during a storm, one must protect her. We have ways of testing the strength of this protection.” continued Rankys, supported by further chants and jeers at the woman. The people understood what the augur meant while the missionary maintained her composure of strength, hiding hints of fear.

A bar of untempered cold steel was dipped into the lit coals of the blacksmith’s forge. While they waited, all were silent aside the crowd mocking the missionary. The smith inspected the bar, gave it an approving look, and lifted it within his tongs. Walking over to the woman, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself. The smith held the searing bar over her open palms and dropped it once the command was given. The bar fell into her open hands.

As soon as it touched her waiting flesh, she wrapped her fingers around the scorching steel. It appeared as though she felt no pain and looked forward to the waiting Avvar, calmly walking towards them. The walk was not long but she took her time, revelling in the shock and awe of her audience.

However, not all were staring in awe. Rankys stood analysing her, looking for any trick. When she reached about halfway, he realised what she was. Her talents were untempered but still there. He had noticed a change within the Fade earlier but attributed it to other means. He tapped the snow once using his staff. Over the missionary fell what appeared to be a small flurry. 

Suddenly, her hands were boiling under the heat of the bar. She let out a primal scream before sprinting to the waiting thanes. As she ran, her skin bubbled and seared against the heat. She reached her destination and flung the bar from her hands, leaving some of her skin behind. Looking down to her palms, she could see tissue bubbling and crisping. She fell to her knees and plunged her hands into the snow. A long hiss sounded while all were silent. A few moments passed before she looked up to those who held her life in their hands.

The Avvar wasted no time with heretics who threatened their ways. As of recent, the number of those attempting to convert had risen so the protocol was well known. Amid her loud protests, she was apprehended and brought to a standing stone outside the hold’s walls. The stone itself was covered in intricate carvings of religious effect. The missionary was tied to the stone using steel chains. She remained there throughout the night, squirming in attempts to free herself from Hakkon’s will of cold and steel. Some would either find their fate in the lack of nutrition and sustenance while some would succumb to the effects of the wilderness.

During this whole time, the Avvar watched her in her final moments. They would patrol her body to ensure that none of the Lady or the Father’s messengers whisked away her corpse to the afterlife. As her final moments came, Rankys was called, as the augur, to preside over her death. He made pledges and made ceremony with the gods while waiting for her to draw her last breath. While waiting for the end, he questioned her of who had sent her specifically to them. He had his suspicions but was still curious if he could squeeze any last droplets of information from her. She refused to comply and brought the answer to her grave. 

When that moment came, the hold watched as Rankys lit her corpse aflame. To provide human sacrifice chained to stone while being pelted by the cold was to show great allegiance to the gods while the burning of the body was of denial of the heretic into the Lady’s realm. The hold would remember this day as one of the finest Hogmanay to ever come.


End file.
